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Moments after Azinger, the third-round leader, knocked his three-wood second shot in the water in front of the green at the par-five fifth, Woods stuck a three-iron from 240 yards to within 6ft. He drained the eagle putt while Azinger two-putted from 12ft for bogey.

"When Paul hit the water, I thought I just need to get the ball on dry land around here," Woods said. "Luckily, I did that, and I got the three. It feels good to play good when I really needed to."

When Azinger, who won the Memorial in 1993, bogeyed the next hole, the 25-year-old Woods was three shots clear of the field.

A two-putt birdie on the par-five seventh hole, set up by a 270-yard, three-wood approach, lifted Woods to a four-stroke advantage and he was off to his 12th straight sub-par round at Muirfield Village.

Azinger birdied the opening hole to lead Woods by two shots, but birdied only one more hole while giving back four shots to post a final-round 74. Garcia registered an up-and-down 71 to tie Azinger at 10-under 278.

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New Zealanders Grant Waite and Frank Nobilo finished well down the field. Waite shot a final-round four-over 76 for 287 and Nobilo's even-par round left him on 294.

* Australian golfer Karrie Webb won the US Women's Open by a massive eight strokes at Southern Pines, North Carolina, yesterday.

Webb started the day with a five-shot lead and stayed in front throughout the final round to capture women's golf's most prestigious title for the second consecutive year.

She carded a one-under-par 69, finishing in style with birdies at the final two holes. She ended at seven-under 273. South Korean Pak Se-ri shot 72 to claim second on 281.

Webb, aged 26, is the seventh player to successfully defend the Women's Open crown.

* Frenchman Thomas Levet came from four strokes off the lead going into the final round to clinch a dramatic four-man playoff for the British Masters title at Woburn, Milton Keynes, yesterday at the third extra hole.

Levet (69) had tied after four rounds on 14-under-par 274 with Swedes Mathias Gronberg (68), who ran him closest, and Robert Karlsson (72), and Britain's David Howell (73).

The Frenchman felt destined to win after finding a lucky Irish ball-marker and had an immediate chance in the playoff to claim his second European Tour title.

But he missed a five-foot birdie putt at the first extra hole, where Karlsson and Howell both dropped out with bogeys. At the third sudden-death hole, the par three 17th, he had an eight-foot birdie chance and made no mistake.

Gronberg had to settle for a share of second place with Karlsson and Howell.

* New Zealanders Barry Vivian and Simon Owen finished third and tied for fourth respectively in the De Vere PGA Seniors Championship at Cheshire, England yesterday.

Vivian shot a par round of 72 at Carden Park to climb past Owen into third in the European Seniors Tour event.

Owen tied for fourth with American Jeff van Wagenen, with a four-round total of 285.

Vivian trailed Australian winner Ian Stanley by six shots with a four under-par tally of 284.